If you’re like me, Giving Tuesday didn’t ring a bell. Until this year.
December 3, 2013 marks the second annual Giving Tuesday that starts out the giving season right after Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The purpose of Giving Tuesday is to support non-profitable organizations and promote charitable giving.
The United Nations joined New York’s 92nd Street Y to initiate this post-holiday for all people, not just non-profits. To be officially recognized as a Giving Tuesday partner, though, you must be a registered non-profit, 501(c)3 in the United States. Some notable partners include Adobe, American Eagle Outfitters, Discover, The Weather Channel, and Wal-mart. A full list of partners can be found here.
What are some Giving Tuesday ideas?
It can be as easy as volunteering at your favorite non-profit for an hour today, or signing up for a shift at your local food pantry for later in the month. As university students, often we think that once Christmas break starts, we are free from any obligations, school work, or volunteering that we normally do during the semester. This is the time when we are needed the most. It doesn’t mean you have to stay where your college or university is just to help out, but it can be as easy as picking up a shift in your hometown in place of a student who won’t be there in December. You can simply donate online or retweet a givver.com tweet from a charitable organization.
Many cities are jumping aboard and proclaiming “Giving Tuesday” as an official event. St. Louis and Baltimore already initiated campaigns starting in early November such as “Bmore Give More.” Cities encourage their citizens to “give where they live.”
@GivingTues is sweeping Twitter and quickly gaining followers who use the hashtag #GivingTuesday. Their feed currently includes links to other social media, donation pages, hunger pages like Feeding America’s, and celebrity pages like Kourtney Kardashian’s.
Today is #GivingTuesday. Join me & help @AmericanCancer #finishthefight against cancer. http://t.co/nXewm2pyys
— Kourtney Kardashian (@KourtneyKardash) December 3, 2013
Tomorrow is #GivingTuesday! Please RT to help spread the word. You can help the 49MM who face hunger. pic.twitter.com/58YHlzEhp9
— Feeding America (@FeedingAmerica) December 3, 2013
Giving Tuesday is not simply one day out of the year to give back to the community, it is one day to kickstart a year of giving.
To find out more about the United Nation Foundation’s Giving Tuesday and to stay up to date on their efforts, visit their website.